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How Much Is A Life Worth?

Why it’s impossible to put a price tag on our lives.
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If you had to put a price tag on your existence, what would it be? That might seem like a cold or cynical question, but it is one that each of us unconsciously considers on a regular basis. We want our lives to be significant; we want to be valued. As philosophers have noted, we all naturally seek to “validate our existence.” 

There are countless ways that we can attempt to validate our lives. For some it is through a successful career or wealth. For some it’s through relationships or family. Others turn to entertainment or hobbies. In the church, many attempt to validate their existence through their morality or ministry involvement. These can be wonderful things, but unfortunately they are all unstable sources of self-worth, and in the long run, they ultimately fail to fully convince us that we have intrinsic value. 

In contrast, see the shocking value God places on you in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ show us exactly how much we are worth to God because it reveals how much He was willing to pay for us. It’s impossible to put a price tag on our lives because God didn’t redeem us financially. In fact, there is no way to pay for sin by money or great wealth (Psalm 49:6-8). Ironically, our society often refers to silver and gold as imperishable or precious metals. However, 1 Peter 1:18 shows that in God’s economy, silver and gold are perishable like the rest of creation. Instead, it’s the blood of Jesus that is truly precious. One drop of His blood is worth more than all the wealth in all the world, in all of history. His blood, shed on the cross for our sins, opened the only way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to God. 

"It’s impossible to put a price tag on our lives because God didn’t redeem us financially."

This means you are infinitely valuable. You can stop trying to validate your own existence because you have intrinsic worth. You are as valuable to God the Father as His own Son (John 17:23). God literally loves you as He loves Himself. It is incredibly liberating to realize that God’s love is not based on your performance but on His perfect character. There is no other person, religion, worldview, or philosophy that puts such a dramatically high value on your life. 

This truth should thrill our hearts, and transform every area of our lives over time. Rather than undermining the importance of obeying Him, God’s priceless love can give you motivation to follow His commands and makes every one of your decisions significant on multiple levels (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). This Easter I hope that you experience in a deeper way how valuable you are to God, and that your “blood bought” relationship with Christ will become even more precious to you.